Mediterranean Cruise 2004:
Day 12 - Venice, Italy
Day 12 - Venice, Italy
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Wednesday, July 7, 2004: The front of the ship was the place to be as we approached Venice in the morning. By the time we were in the lagoon, the decks were packed. |
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And with good reason! Venice is a beautiful city from any angle, especially the top deck of a cruise ship. |
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It was another cloudless, sunny day, and Venice sparkled in the sun. |
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This was our first glimpse of St. Mark's Square. |
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Here is the wider view, with all of the buildings surrounding the square. Our genius plan was to walk from the cruise ship pier through Venice, seeing the major sights and ending up at the shuttle just outside of St. Mark's square. |
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We expected Venice to be dirty and rundown, but it was absolutely charming. |
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The first part of our tour took us from the pier to the Rialto Bridge. Along the way, we had some tasty fruit slushes with an adorable Italian name which we can no longer recall. At a cafe next to the Grand Canal, we stopped for a delicious lunch of pasta, bread, and wine. |
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At the Rialto Bridge, we purchased a few pairs of lovely Murano glass earrings, then crossed the bridge to continue through the other half of Venice. |
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There were many gondolas, of course, and we decided that we really didn't need to ride one. It was enough fun for us just to watch them go by. |
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We did more walking, snacking (mmmmm ... gelato), and window-shopping. Doesn't this display make you want to buy lime-green leather gloves? |
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Finally, we made it to St. Mark's Square. It could be the pleasant weather and scenery, or it could be that we were in fabulous shape after 11 days of walking long distances, but we weren't tired at all. |
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We passed on feeding the famous pigeons. We're pretty sure they aren't going hungry. |
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Some nice Scandinavian youths offered to take our photo in the square, and we repaid the favor. Thanks, Scandinavian youths, wherever you are! |
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Next stop: a cafe to spend the last few Euros we had on some cold Italian beer. As we got up to leave and head back to the ship, we noticed that the clouds were coming out for the first time. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bundlings have left the Mediterranean! |
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(But not before getting one last photo of our dashing Italian waiter.) |
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Sadly, we had to say farewell to the Mediterranean, the Millennium, and Debbie's beloved bag of Greek Prawn Cocktail Lay's potato chips, carefully rationed the last six days of the cruise. ** THE END ** |
Copyright © Deborah Schilling/Thomas Bundy